Chapter 502: Sarcastic Remarks Behind One's Back

Yang Zhuren didn't say much more. Although he didn't believe the Interventional Department could solve the problem smoothly, he also didn't want a 16-year-old girl to undergo a thoracotomy.

If Thoracic Surgery handled it, even if the object couldn't be retrieved via endoscopic surgery and a thoracotomy was required, the surgery itself wouldn't be major; the problem lay in the massive surgical scar.

Since they were already here, and there was no danger to life, there was no harm in trying.

They sought a consultation with Li Ming, the director of the Interventional Department. After looking at the patient's imaging data, he pondered for a long time.

"Li Zhuren, do you think it's doable?" Yang Zhuren asked.

"Let's try. I've retrieved similar tracheal foreign bodies before; some were successful, some failed," Li Zhuren said. "It's similar to the patient's situation—it only reached us after the Respiratory Department's bronchoscopy failed."

"Just tell me if you can do it or not."

"Let's try, this is very difficult."

Li Zhuren looked at the film and said something that was both expected and reasonable.

It wasn't appendicitis, nor was it the liver cancer embolization that Li Zhuren performed daily; who knew if it would work?

There was no hesitation about this matter. Li Zhuren communicated with Zhang Zhuren from Thoracic Surgery, and they went to the hybrid operating room of the General Surgery Operating Room to first attempt the interventional surgery; if it failed, they would proceed directly to a thoracotomy.

The staple was right in the right main bronchus and wouldn't come out for no reason. Surgery was certain; the question was whether it could be retrieved without damage.

The doctors from Thoracic Surgery sent the patient up, and Li Zhuren pulled Yang Zhuren aside to smoke.

"Yang Zhuren, why didn't you ask Ji Yisheng Xiang to take a look?"

Yang Zhuren was startled.

He stared closely at Li Ming, trying to discern whether Li Ming's words were a joke or meant seriously.

"What kind of look is that? I'm being serious," Li Zhuren, Li Ming, said. "You watched the third episode of the program, right? Many people asked me what that intraoperative communication was about. Let me tell you, to be honest, Ji Yisheng Xiang's level is actually a cut above mine."

"Really? To be honest, I didn't quite understand it."

"I said it during the interview."

"I thought you were just being polite." Yang Zhuren shrugged.

"Polite? You're joking," Li Zhuren said. "I was just speaking the truth."

"That doesn't sound like you; you're the type who would be stubborn to the end," Yang Zhuren joked.

"You don't do interventional surgery, so you don't know Ji Xiang's level. How does that old saying go? It's a sin not to respect a master," Li Zhuren said calmly. "It's true, Ji Xiang's level is very high. Honestly, I'm also suspicious. How do you think he practiced it? Can one really reach that level in just one year of interventional surgery?"

"Is it possible that Ji Xiang's teacher is very impressive?" Yang Zhuren asked.

"I asked around. The Interventional Department at the Medical University over there has basically been hollowed out. Back then, there were four doctors who were good at surgery, known as the Four Great Vajras, but later three went to the South," Li Zhuren said. "The one left is the oldest, and his level is just so-so."

Yang Zhuren found it strange and told Li Ming about what had just happened on his side.

"Actually, I acknowledge that his technical level is high," Yang Zhuren said. "But Li Zhuren, you tell me, the hardest part of clinical work is communicating with patients. Ji Xiang first persuaded a patient I couldn't handle, and yesterday he indirectly resolved a dispute."

"That's true, that's the part that's hard to understand," Li Zhuren said, frowning. "I've seen young doctors with high talent, but that's always on the operating table. Off the table, they always have problems handling relationships with patients. The higher the talent, the more arrogant they are, and they handle patient relations very rigidly."

"That needs time to polish, but Ji Xiang... he's so slick that even I can't keep up," Yang Zhuren added.

"Who knows, it has nothing to do with us."

Yang Zhuren looked at Li Ming, and suddenly a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"What's that expression?"

"Li Ming, tell me the truth, what exactly is your intention in blowing up Ji Xiang in front of the cameras?"

Li Zhuren knew his little scheme had been exposed and laughed out loud.

"Are you afraid to offend Qin yourself, so you're pushing Ji Xiang to the front?"

"That's a bit malicious. Let me tell you, Yang Zhuren, if you see through something, don't say it; if you say it, you won't have friends," Li Ming smiled and said calmly. "Everyone is just trying to get along and make money. Qin has his own local hospital situation regarding how he performs surgery; it would be very inappropriate for me to say anything."

"Then you pushed Doctor Xiao Ji to go up?" Yang Zhuren asked teasingly.

"I don't like hearing you say that; I didn't push him," Li Ming curled his lip. "At the time, I saw Doctor Xiao Ji pointing at Qin Chu's nose and scolding him. Old Yang, you didn't see it; even now, I can occasionally dream about that scene."

"..."

"How should I put it? When I see Ji Xiang, it's like seeing Lao Zhuren. I'm truly afraid that if this kid sees me doing something wrong, he'll come up and lecture me."

"And then?" Yang Zhuren recalled his own brief encounter with Ji Xiang and found it hard to understand Li Ming's true thoughts.

"But after working with him on two surgeries, his temper is very gentle, and his demeanor is incredibly good. It's just that when embolizing the Superior Mesenteric Artery, he suggested whether he could perform a super-selection once. He asked very politely, and I even felt a hint of pleading in his attitude.

You know, it's just like a Standardized Training Student begging you, the director, to let him suture the skin. Sometimes, I really can't quite figure out Ji Yisheng Xiang."

Yang Zhuren pondered.

"But the facts prove that Doctor Xiao Ji can successfully complete the surgery," Li Ming sighed. "I'm not trying to build him up just to knock him down; I just find Qin unpleasant, so I praise Doctor Xiao Ji while subtly scolding Qin. I wouldn't dare scold him to his face, but I have the guts to be snide behind his back."

"You."

"I'm a coward. When attending academic conferences, I wouldn't dare confront Qin. He has his status in the field, and we stay out of each other's way, which is fine. But Xiao Ji dares to. If he dares, what does it matter if I praise him a couple of times?

From now on, as long as there's an academic conference, I'll even treat Ji Xiang as my senior brother right in front of Qin Chu."

Yang Zhuren understood Li Ming's hidden agenda perfectly, and after thinking it over, it didn't seem like he had done anything too excessive.

"Li Zhuren, do you think you can retrieve the staple?"

"It's a stretch," Li Zhuren said truthfully. "Let's try. Anyway, Thoracic Surgery is on the side, and the chest bottle is already in, so there's no risk of Tension Pneumothorax. As long as the person is fine, I'll give it a try; if it works, that's for the best."

"What if it were Ji Xiang?" Yang Zhuren asked another malicious question.

But Li Zhuren didn't hesitate and said directly, "If Ji Xiang were the surgeon, I think he'd have no problem."

Yang Zhuren found it hard to imagine that Li Ming would give Ji Xiang such a high evaluation.

He vaguely remembered Ji Xiang judging last night that the titanium clip had worn through the Duodenal Bulb, causing the patient's Gastrointestinal Bleeding, and helping to solve the problem in advance.

This series of events made him feel that Ji Xiang was not at all like an Intern.